Beginnings
by Noppoh
Summary: ONE-SHOT A drunken statement leads to that which they both have wanted for a long time. HG/DM


**I want to thank goldensnitch18 for being my Beta for this story. Loads of love!**

 **This story was written for the Strictly Dramione 2017 Secret Santa fic exchange.**

 **Disclaimer: Everything Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and consort.**

"Have sex with me."

Draco stiffened. _Did she really just say that?_ He didn't dare to hope, yet he could feel her hands on his back, her breath tickling the hairs at the nape of his neck. Slowly, he turned around to face her. His hope died down quickly when his eyes met hers. Covering the hands that were running up and down his chest, he heaved a sigh.

"You're drunk, Granger."

"I most definitely am not!"

He released her hands and gave a small nudge against her shoulder, causing her to sway precariously.

Hermione started giggling. "Ok, perhaps a little bit." She fell forward, her head resting against his shoulder. "The offer still stands though."

He let out another sigh and looked around the Manor ballroom. All the important guests had already left the traditional Christmas Eve ball, leaving only close friends in the massive room. He smirked when he saw a determined Pansy cornering Potter.

Hermione rubbed her nose against his neck, and he turned his focus back to her. "Let's get you to bed."

"Bed?" Her voice sounded hopeful.

"Yes. I'm going to get you home so you can sleep in _your_ bed, _alone._ "

She frowned. "Oh."

Smiling, Draco brushed some of her curly hair behind her ear; the elegant up-do had started to come loose about an hour into the party. He didn't mind, he liked her more with her hair wild, just like her spirit.

"That's not what I suggested," Hermione continued.

He snorted. "No, not what you suggested, but it is exactly what we are going to do. Come on."

Blaise walked towards them as they crossed the room towards the active floo. Behind him, Ginny was looking a bit too pleased for Draco's liking.

"Could you keep an eye out for a while, mate?" Draco said before Blaise could make a comment. "I'm bringing this very drunk Gryffindor princess home before she passes out. I'll be back before you know it."

"Sure," Blaise answered with a wink.

Draco decided to ignore his best friend. Blaise had been pestering him to make a move ever since Draco confessed his feelings for Hermione to him, now almost half a year ago.

Hermione was absently plucking at the sleeves of his robes. "Do you even know how good you look?" she asked.

Blaise sniggered and hastily retreated when Draco glared at him. "I do own a mirror, Granger," he replied.

He cursed fate for hearing her say this while she was drunk, knowing she would never repeat it while sober. Stepping into the Floo, he pulled her close, wrapping his arm tightly around her. The smell of her hair was amazing. He couldn't help but breathe in her scent. Dropping the floo powder, he called out Hermione's address and fluently guided the both of them into her apartment.

"Here we are, Granger. Off to bed with you." He raised an eyebrow when she didn't move, simply standing next to him and staring at him. "Well?"

"You're not coming?" she pouted.

Draco breathed in through his nose. "No, I'm not."

"Come on, Malfoy, give me a Christmas miracle. Let me spend one night with you, and then you never have to again. You don't have to tell anyone what happened. I just want one night to call you mine… please."

He stared at her. She sounded so clearheaded, not drunk at all. The words went right through his soul and to his manhood. To have her ask him like that. He shook his head. Why would she think he would be embarrassed about it? Why would she count it as a miracle? She could get anybody she wanted, surely she knew that.

For a moment, he gave in to his longing, reaching out and running the back of his fingers along her cheek. Realising what he was doing, he snatched his hand away and took a step back.

"You're drunk, Granger," he said harshly. "Go sleep. You'll probably not even remember this once you wake up."

She narrowed her eyes at him, stomping her foot. "Well, then I won't allow you to leave!"

"What?"

"I will not allow you to leave. I'm certain you sleep with a different girl practically every night. It can't be that bad to spend one night with me? So, you're not leaving."

He was unable to prevent the small laugh escaping his lips. "And what exactly do you think you can do to prevent me from leaving?"

The smirk that followed his statement unnerved him. Hermione reached into the folds of her dress, pulling out her wand.

"Well," she answered, "I'll simply close my wards."

 _That's my girl,_ he thought when she skillfully waved her wand around, belying her drunken state. _Wait…_ He groaned as realisation hit him: This was the smartest, most powerful witch he had ever met. _I'm not going to get out of here, am I?_ He could only hope she would forget to protect the Floo or make a mistake due to her far from sober state.

"There!"

While she smiled triumphantly at him, he tried to Apparate. Nothing happened. Moving back to the fireplace, Draco grabbed a pinch of floo powder and threw it into the fire. It merely sizzled in the flames, not turning them to the cool green of transportation. Hermione's smile turned wider, he smirked right back.

"Tinkles!" To his utter surprise, nothing happened. "You even warded against house elves?" he asked Hermione, his tone incredulous.

"We invented that trick."

He had no answer to that. _Ok, change of tactics._ "Right. Ok then, let's go to your bedroom." He put a hand to the small of her back and guided her towards the room, trying to ignore her giddy giggle. Once there, he turned her so he was standing behind her. _I can't believe I'm doing this!_

"Let's get these pins out of your hair first, shall we?"

With careful movements, he pulled away the pins, causing Hermione to moan softly as her luxurious hair tumbled down her back. Draco ran his hands through her hair and over her scalp, checking that he got them all of the pins out. Hermione's hums had him gritting his teeth, trying to stop his body's reactions.

"There, doesn't that feel better? More relaxing?" He ran his hands along her arms. She was swaying slightly. He took a steadying breath. "Now, do you want to take off your dress?"

Hermione merely lifted her left arm in response, revealing the small zipper in the side seam. _Of course._ Gently, trying not to touch her too much or in inappropriate places, he pulled down the zipper.

Unlike what he had hoped, the dress didn't pool at her feet but had to be lifted over her head. Crouching down, he grabbed the skirt's hem and bunched it up. Hermione obediently lifted both her arms above her head. Draco watched as her delectable body came into view, the curves of her hips, her small waist, her long neck. When her hair dropped free and once more bounced over her shoulders and back, he nearly caved. Taking a step back, he drew his hand over his face, trying to calm his raging heart and desires.

As Hermione reached back to undo her bra, he quickly grabbed her hands. "Let's leave that one on for just a little while longer." He coughed. "I quite fancy it." _That wasn't a complete lie._ She turned around to face him. _So fucking beautiful!_

He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her towards the bed. Her hands were clumsily trying to undo the buttons of his shirt. "Why don't you get comfortable under the sheets? I'm just going to get us some water. I'm parched." Hermione looked confused but did as he suggested. He gave her a kiss on her forehead after he tucked her in. "I'll be right back."

Once outside of her room, Draco let out a long sigh. As a rule, he refused to sleep with any drunk girl, and he would most certainly not take advantage of the girl he loved, even if it was unrequited. He took his time pouring two glasses of water, quickly draining one and refilling it. When he returned to Hermione's bedroom, he was relieved to hear her snoring softly. Putting one of the glasses on her nightstand, he couldn't help but watch her sleep for a moment. _If only you could be mine._

Returning to the living room, he once more tried to Apparate, with no success. Both the Floo and calling his house elf failed as well. Resigning to his fate, he took off his dress robes and shirt, grabbed the blanket that was underneath the coffee table, and made himself comfortable on the couch.

xXxXxXx

The next morning, he was abruptly woken by a shriek, causing him to sit up straight in surprise. He opened his eyes just in time to see a bush of brown hair and a scarcely clad bum disappear through the door. His smirk turned into a yawn, and he shook his head in an attempt to clear it from the remaining fog. Finding his wand, he cast a breath-freshener charm. After summoning his shirt and buttoning up, he waited for the storm. He didn't have to wait long.

"What do you think you are doing sleeping on my couch, Malfoy?"

Draco looked up to see Hermione standing in the doorway, wearing jeans and an oversized sweater. It looked good on her.

"Sleeping," he answered.

"Sleeping? Why on earth are you sleeping on my couch? What the hell are you thinking? Get out!"

He grinned at her. _This is going to be fun_. "Well, it's not like I can."

"Excuse me?"

The dumbfounded look on her face was well worth the soreness sleeping on the couch had caused in his back and shoulders. "How much _do_ you remember about last night, Granger?"

Her face turned bright red. "I, uhm, may be missing a bit of time," she mumbled.

"So you don't remember anything about what happened last night?" Her shocked, wide open eyes made him reconsider his teasing. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Granger, nothing happened. You were … adamant that I come home with you. Then, you didn't want me to leave before, uhm, you fell asleep, so you warded your apartment to prevent me from leaving. Impressive wandwork, by the way."

"I did what?"

"You warded the apartment so I can't leave. Not by Floo, not by Apparation, not even by house elf."

"I can't believe I…" Hermione murmured to herself, pulling her wand out of her pocket and waving it about. "OH MY GOD!" She started moving her wand at a frantic pace. "I can't believe I did that! I'm so sorry, Draco! Merlin, I practically imprisoned you. I am so, so sorry. I've reset the wards, you can leave now. Is there anything you want first? A cup of coffee perhaps? Please forgive me for doing this to you!"

He held up his hands, trying to calm her down and stop the flow of apologies. "You were drunk, Granger, I don't hold it against you. There's no need to apologise. I am, however, immediately going home. I left the Manor to Blaise when we left. Merlin knows what I'll find when I return."

"Oh, ok."

She was biting her lip, it was driving him wild. He grabbed his wand and, with a last goodbye, Apparated to the main hall of the Manor, only to be greeted by a distraught house elf.

"Master! Master is home! Tinkles did not know what to do! Tinkles is so sorry."

The house elf was pulling at its ears, looking utterly stressed out. Draco crouched in front of him. "What's wrong, Tinkles?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" the elf cried out. "Tinkles could hear Master calling, but Tinkles could not get to Master! I failed my duty. Master will surely give Tinkles clothes now. Please don't give Tinkles clothes. Tinkles will try harder next time."

It took Draco a moment to realise what was going on. He put a hand on the elf's shoulder. "You have not failed, Tinkles, and you have done nothing wrong."

"I haven't?"

"No, you haven't. The very smart witch I went home with last night put up a ward that prevented you from entering her home. That's why you couldn't reach me. I know for certain that she would be very sad to know she caused you this much distress. I will not punish you for something that isn't your fault, and don't you dare punish yourself for it, that's an order. Now, can you tell me where Blaise is?"

"Mister Blaise is eating breakfast in the kitchen, Master."

"Thank you, Tinkles."

Reaching the kitchen, he saw a still dishevelled looking Blaise feeding pieces of toast to a half-asleep Ginny leaning against his shoulder.

"What are you going to do when she falls asleep halfway through chewing on a piece of toast?" he asked teasingly.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" Blaise answered, looking up at his friend. "How did your night go?"

Ginny shifted her head to look up at him. "Yes, tell us all about your night," she smirked.

"You two are incorrigible. Nothing happened, alright? Are you the only ones still here? What happened to Potter and Pansy?"

This time, it was Blaise who was smirking. "Pansy wasn't taking no for an answer. I saw the two of them Apparating away. I don't think The-Boy-Who-Lived got much sleep last night."

"Never mind that!" Ginny interrupted. "What do you mean, nothing happened? I got Hermione drunk for nothing? If nothing happened, why did you stay at her place all night?"

Draco looked at her for a moment, before shaking his head and dropping into a chair opposite her. He grabbed the coffee pot and poured himself a liberal amount. Ginny was practically bouncing in her chair, but he ignored her, taking a much-needed sip of his coffee and stealing a buttered toast from Blaise's plate.

"Like I said, nothing happened."

"But mate, she was all over you. What on earth possessed you to turn her down?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at his friend. "You know full well that I don't sleep with drunken witches."

"Not even Granger?"

"Especially not Hermione."

"But then why did you stay?" Ginny interrupted.

Draco sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "She wouldn't take no for an answer. When I tried to leave, she closed her wards and locked me in."

He looked up to see both of them staring at him, before Ginny erupted in a laughing fit. "That's Hermione alright! So then what?"

Feeling uncomfortable, Draco took a bite of his toast, staying silent.

"Mate, don't make us pull it out of you!" Blaise complained. "Because we will, trust me."

With a resigned sigh, Draco let his head fall backwards to stare at the ceiling. "Like I said, she wouldn't take no for an answer. I figured the only thing I could do was to play along." He ignored the chocked sound coming from Ginny. "It probably was either that or get hexed. So I took her to her room, pulled the pins out of her hair, got her out of the dress, and put her to bed. Then I claimed to be thirsty and went to fetch some water. She was asleep by the time I got back from the kitchen. Her wards, however, were still preventing me to leave, so I slept on the couch." He looked back at his friends. "Hermione didn't remember this morning, so I told her she was adamant I keep her company and that she locked me in."

Both Ginny and Blaise were once more staring at him; Blaise with a pained and sympathetic look on his face, Ginny on the verge of laughter. The moment was broken when an owl swooped in and dropped a letter in Ginny's lap. After opening it, she snickered and got up.

"Boys, I've got to go. A very confused and distraught witch is in need of my counsel."

Draco shot up. "Is that from Hermione? Is she alright?"

Ginny's eyes softened. "She's fine, she wants me to fill in the blanks of last night's party, and probably scold me for getting her drunk. After she had a sober-up potion, that is. Do you have any I can take?"

After Ginny disappeared through the Floo, a vial of potion in her pocket, Draco made his way up to his room. He was dying to let a hot shower ease the lingering tension in his shoulders and back, and perhaps in one other place as well.

xXxXxXx

Three days later, Draco sat down at the table in the Leaky Cauldron, offering Blaise a butterbeer.

"How was Christmas Dinner at the Weasleys?" Draco asked.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Crowded and loud, as always. Why don't you ever come? I know Molly invites you every year.

Draco shrugged, not wanting to talk about the fact that he felt out of place in the boisterous family. He had a difficult time accepting their friendliness and inclusion; he kept waiting for the hidden agenda, even though rationally he knew there was none.

"What do you want to order for lunch?" he asked, trying to divert the conversation.

"Let's wait until the girls get here."

"The girls?"

Blaise gave him an innocent look. "Ginny and Hermione are out shopping, didn't I tell you? They are meeting us here."

"You sneaky Slytherin!" Draco accused, narrowing his eyes but secretly not minding at all. He hadn't seen Hermione since the morning after the Christmas Eve party. He had the odd feeling she was avoiding him, even though it had only been three days.

Blaise was about to retort when the door opened and a gust of cold air blew through the pub. Draco looked up to see Ginny and Hermione walk in. As soon as the latter spotted him, she froze in her tracks, tugging at Ginny's sleeve violently and starting a heated, whispered conversation. _So she is, indeed, avoiding me._

Eventually, the roles changed, and it was Ginny tugging at Hermione's sleeve, pulling her towards their table. Draco smiled at the nervous looking Hermione, trying to reassure her. After greetings were exchanged, they all grabbed a menu and decided on their lunch.

"We'll go order," Ginny proclaimed, practically dragging Blaise out of his chair so he would follow her.

Draco looked at Hermione. She was sitting across from him, casting furtive glances his way from beneath her eyelashes. The apprehensive behaviour was very much unlike her.

"How have you been?" he finally asked, trying to break the uneasy silence.

She glanced up at him. "Ginny told me what really happened on Christmas Eve."

"Ah."

"I'm so sorry, my behaviour was atrocious. I really can't believe I acted that way. I made a fool out of myself and put you in an awkward position. I apologise."

For a moment, Draco merely looked at her. "There's no need to apologise, Granger." Oh, how he wished he could call her Hermione, but it would break their stalemate, it would be too much of a risk.

"But- but I made you undress me!" She started blushing, covering her face with her hands.

"That you did," he answered with a smile. She looked so adorable, being embarrassed.

"Weren't you- I mean, wasn't it- Oh, never mind."

Draco watched as she bit her lip, looking back down at the table with a frown marring her forehead.

"Tell me," he prodded.

"No, it's silly, never mind."

"Come on, Granger, where's that Gryffindor courage? Tell me."

She looked back up at him, the uncertainty clear in her eyes. "Well, I-" she stuttered, trying to find the right words. "Weren't you at least a little bit tempted?"

Draco jerked his head back slightly in surprise. Of all the things he had expected her to ask, this wasn't one of them.

"I don't sleep with drunken women, Granger," he replied more terse than he intended.

"Oh." Hurt flashed through her eyes. The corners of her mouth momentarily pulled down, before she forced them back up. "That's actually quite a noble thing, Malfoy."

 _Something isn't right._ He watched her body language; her slightly hunched shoulders, the way her hands were clasped together under the table, the sadness in her eyes. _She can't possibly be thinking I don't find her attractive?!_

Reaching out across the table, he touched her arm. "Hey, you do know you're beautiful, right?" he asked. It earned him a small smile. _Not enough_. He wanted to see her beam, smile as radiantly as only she could. "Of course I was tempted, Granger. I had a beautiful, willing, and half-naked witch standing in front of me. But you deserve more than a shag you won't remember the next morning."

Hermione stared at him, the light returning to her eyes. _There is my smile._ He grinned back at her. Could he dare to hope? Was she interested in him but not sure enough of herself to show it to him, much like he was? Was she waiting for him to make the first move?

Ginny and Blaise arrived back at the table with their food. Draco barely noticed, staring into Hermione's eyes and feeling that sparkle of hope grow into a flame. The moment was broken when Ginny bumped Hermione in the shoulder, urging her to eat so they could get back to their shopping.

xXxXxXx

As per usual, New Year's Eve was celebrated at Grimmauld Place. Draco was standing in a corner of the room, watching the party unfold in front of him. The old Dumbledore's Army gathered, along with classmates and even some of the surviving Order Members. It always struck Draco how little remained of the old rivalries, not the personal ones, nor the ones between Hogwarts Houses.

The evening always began with a seemingly never-ending in and out of people. People who wanted to pop in before going to celebrate somewhere else and people who had to work, even on New Year's Eve. Some stayed for five minutes, some stayed for an hour, some never left, despite their other engagements. Around 11 in the evening, the flux of people slowed and the group that was going to stay solidified.

That was exactly what was happening in front of Draco's eyes right now. At the table, Harry was playing Exploding Snap with Ron, Blaise and Ginny; Pansy standing behind him, her hand on his shoulder. George and Angelina had disappeared a little while ago. They were presumably hiding pranks in the upstairs rooms, or desecrating them, whatever took their fancy.

Taking a sip of his Firewhiskey, he looked around the room. The wireless was softly playing Christmas tunes in the background. Hermione and Luna were happily chatting on the couch. Theo, Luna's boyfriend, to Draco's surprise, was working at St Mungo's but had dropped in earlier that evening.

Hermione's gaze crossed his. She gave him a small smile, which he returned. Her cheeks turned pink and, not wanting to cause her any discomfort, he continued to survey the room. His eyes landed on Andromeda and Teddy. Both were sitting on the ground, playing with some building blocks.

"What are you doing standing so alone in a corner?"

Draco whipped his head around in surprise. Given her embarrassment last time they met, he hadn't expected Hermione to come talk to him. "I am merely observing the room," he answered.

She came to stand beside him, their bodies almost touching. "Is it entertaining?"

"Not really, we are a rather boring group, I must admit."

Hermione's laugh made his heart warm. He loved seeing her happy and carefree. Some of it must have showed, because when she looked at him again, she fell silent, an unreadable expression on her face.

Draco barely avoided a curse from rolling off his lips when the magic tripwire announced new guests. They all looked up to see Neville and Hannah walk in, sporting a red nose and rubbing their hands.

"Sorry we're late," Neville said, "grandmother wouldn't let us go."

"It's so good to see you, Neville, Hannah!" Hermione greeted, walking to them and accepting their coats. They were soon lost in conversation.

Feeling both solitary and included in the group, Draco remained where he was, watching everybody interact, but especially Hermione. Their last meeting had given him hope, but he was at a loss on how to act on it. If his hope was false, he didn't want to damage their friendship. He would rather have her in his life as a friend, than not at all.

When the radio started the countdown to the new year, everybody grouped in the middle of the room – George and Angelina appearing just in time, looking a bit dishevelled – and joined in. While 'Happy New Year' shouts were ringing around the room, Hermione wandered to the kitchen and outside, like she always did. Draco decided to follow.

"Mind if I join you?"

Hermione looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. "Not at all."

"Why are we outside?" He went to stand beside her.

"You don't know?" she asked, briefly looking at him before returning her gaze to the sky. "We're in Muggle territory, which means-" A loud bang sounded and Draco jumped in surprise, going for his wand. Hermione put a hand on his arm.- "firework."

Draco looked at the sky in awe, mesmerized by the multitude of colours and shapes that exploded in the air.

"I used to watch these with my parents. One year we even set some off ourselves," Hermione whispered.

"Oh." He knew about her parents, having been told the story by Harry after one disastrous night where he'd relentlessly asked Hermione about them.

Looking down at her, he saw her shiver and regretted not bringing his cloak so he could give it to her. He decided to do the next best thing and take a risk. Stepping closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

He tightened his grip as Hermione gratefully leaned against him. For a while longer, they watched the fireworks explode around them, until, finally, no more appeared in the sky. Still, they stayed outside, enjoying each other's company and listening to the vague sounds of the party inside.

"Draco?"

He hummed in response. When she didn't continue, he looked down to see her worrying the hem of his sweater. Gently, he pulled her hand away and held on to it. "What is it?"

She looked up to him. "You- uhm, you told me I was beautiful, when we were having lunch a couple of days ago."

"Yes, I did." He smiled at her, not understanding where she was going with this.

"Did you mean that?"

"Of course!" It came out more vehemently than intended, but the smile on her face told him not to worry. Still, he repeated the sentiment in a more even tone.

"They say drunk people can't lie," she continued. Draco mere blinked at her, confusion clear on his face. "I think- What I want to say is-"

"Hermione," he interrupted. She looked up at him, uncertainty swimming in her eyes. He turned towards her, the arm around her shoulder slipping away so he could softly cup her cheek. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself, plunging into the deep end. "I like you, a lot."

"You do?"

Draco grinned as Hermione beamed at him. "Yes, little one, I do. I have for quite some time now."

Staring into her eyes, he leaned down to press his lips against hers. They were cold from standing outside for too long, but they were soft and supple. Her lips yielded to his touch as she stepped into his embrace, her hands resting on his chest. Even though he wanted to, Draco didn't let the kiss go any further. Hermione was too precious for him to push her in any way. He would go at whatever pace she set for them.

Breaking apart, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Shall we head back inside, where it's warmer?"

Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "I _am_ kind of freezing, even though you are doing a wonderful job of heating me up."

Draco laughed. "Let's go grab a mug of hot chocolate, and steel ourselves for the reception that is bound to happen. Ginny has been watching us for the past couple of minutes."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione stepped out of his embrace. "Why does that not surprise me?"

Hand in hand, they walked inside and re-joined the festivities. They were finally together and ready to start a new year.


End file.
